Ounce for ounce, blends of different artificial sweeteners match any individual artificial sweetener in sweetening power. When used to sweeten food, blends greatly decrease the likelihood that consumers will exceed acceptable daily intakes for individual sweeteners. Blends should therefore be used. rather than single sweeteners alone, since blends are clearly more healthful, yet equally effective.

The argument above depends on which of the following assumptions?

When ingested together, different artificial sweeteners in the blends do not interact in a way that makes them harmful to human health.

Different artificial sweeteners, when used together in food, do not contribute a more desirable flavor to the food than would any one of them by itself.

The acceptable daily intake for any given artificial sweetener is a conservative figure that could probably be greatly exceeded at little or no risk.

Consumers who substitute artificial sweeteners for sugar in their diets generally keep track of their daily intake of different sweeteners.

The ill effects on health produced by the intake of excessive quantities of any single artificial sweetener cannot be reversed by reducing in take later.